Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The All-Russian scientific conference with international participation, "Source Studies of Old Russian Literature and Language (Archaeography, Textual Criticism, Poetics)," is taking place at NSU from October 16-18. The event is dedicated to the 60th anniversary of archaeological research at NSU and is supported by the Strategic Academic Leadership Program. Priority 2030 and the NSU Alumni Association "NSU Union." The conference was organized by the Department of Source Studies of Literature and Ancient Languages Humanities Institute of NSU and the Laboratory of Archaeography and Source Studies of the Scientific and Educational Center "Heritage" of the Novosibirsk State University Institute of Historical Research.
The conference is structured around four sections: "Source Studies and Textual Criticism of Old Russian Literary Monuments (11th–17th Centuries)," "Russian Literature and Culture of the 18th–19th Centuries," "Archaeography of Slavic-Russian Book Monuments and the Study of Old Believer Literary Culture," and "Linguatextual Studies of Slavic-Russian Book Monuments and Problems of Corpus Linguistics." Leading archaeologists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, Tomsk, Kirov, Syktyvkar, Kaliningrad, and Izhevsk will present their papers. Scholars from universities in Lyon (France), Shumen (Bulgaria), Athens (Greece), and Yerevan (Armenia) will share their archaeological research online.
At the opening of the conference, Tatyana Morozova, Deputy Director for Research at the NSU Humanities Institute and PhD in History, noted that this conference is of special significance due to its timing in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of archaeological research in Siberia.
We owe the long-standing tradition of archaeological expeditions at our university to the outstanding scholars and wonderful teachers Elena Dergacheva-Skop and Vladimir Alekseev, and many of you present witnessed these events. Over the past 60 years, students, first from the Faculty of Humanities and now from the Humanities Institute at NSU, have participated in numerous archaeological expeditions to various corners of Siberia and the Far East, making their personal contributions to the development of archaeological research and growing from students into accomplished scholars. Some continued to study archaeography, while others subsequently changed their research interests but nonetheless remained engaged in science. For them, the archaeological school became not just a school of archaeography, but a school of science and scientific research in general. The conference will help participants recall the beginnings of archaeological research, share the results of their research, and inspire students attending the breakout sessions to participate in archaeological expeditions and scientific endeavors in general, said Tatyana Morozova.
Corresponding Member of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor, and Director of the Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Igor Silantyev emphasized the conceptual significance of the NSU archaeographic school.
"This school of thought was founded primarily on the scholarly efforts of Elena Dergacheva-Skop. Archaeography is, in a sense, the center of this paradigm, but it also has, in my view, two equally significant elements. One of these was clearly outlined by Elena Dergacheva-Skop: source studies. The connection between these two elements is traditional and naturally defines the methodology for studying ancient and medieval literature. One of the distinctive features of the Novosibirsk school of archaeography is its third element: general literary criticism. Archaeographic phenomena and their source-based underpinnings are studied within the framework of general literary criticism, within the broadest possible perspective on general theoretical issues and questions of the study of literature as such. This general and broad perspective undoubtedly distinguishes the NSU school from others," explained Igor Silantyev.
Olga Zhuravel, Doctor of Philology and Head of the Archaeography and Source Studies Laboratory at the Heritage Research and Education Center, proposed, by analogy with the famous Lavrentyev triangle, which implies the inextricable link between science, education, and industry, a triangle of Siberian archaeography, the vertices of which are Novosibirsk State University, the Archaeography and Source Studies Sector of the Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Department of Ancient Books and Manuscripts of the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. These centers were founded thanks to a quartet of brilliant scholars.
In the mid-1960s, three young scholars arrived in Akademgorodok, still warm from the recent thaw. Their fates, far from easy, had led them there in different ways. They were philologists Elena Ivanovna Dergacheva-Skop and Elena Konstantinovna Romodanovskaya, and historian Nikolai Nikolaevich Pokrovsky. They brought with them the traditions of the best academic schools of Moscow and Leningrad. And in turn, they founded their own academic schools. Old Russian literature, sources, manuscripts, and books—these were the soil from which the scholarly shoots grew, bringing together historians and philologists. As students, we didn't make much of a distinction between which of our teachers were historians and which were philologists. I worked for many years in a sector where both philologists and historians conducted joint research. "We were very close, and I want the younger generation of archaeographers to share our understanding that literature is an inexhaustible source of wisdom for all people, regardless of their profession. We continue to train specialists in this unique profession—rare, but essential for preserving historical memory and morality. And every year, new students go on expeditions, led by our wonderful instructors," said Olga Zhuravel.
Participants of NSU's first archaeographic expeditions also attended the conference opening. Among them was Larisa Soboleva, Doctor of Philology and Professor in the Department of Philology at the Ural Federal University's Institute of Geology and Natural Sciences. She believes that archaeography is more than just a science.
"Archaeography shapes one's approach not only to science but to life in general. It fosters interpersonal relationships and a deep memory, because without this quality, it's impossible to succeed as an archaeographer: you need to remember all the first names, patronymics, and last names of the people you encounter during your scientific research, the villages and towns you visit in search of rare sources, and most importantly, immense patience, the patience of the search. I believe the most important quality of a scientist, instilled in archaeography, is tireless research. This is developed on expeditions and then directly transfers to scientific work. Archaeography fosters a comprehensive approach to the study of ancient books and manuscripts, as well as the ability to extract the essence and draw important conclusions from even the most trivial details," said Larisa Soboleva.
The plenary session of the conference opened with a presentation by Vladimir Alekseev, PhD in Philology and Chief Librarian of the Novosibirsk State Regional Scientific Library, entitled "Archaeographic Work as One of the First Humanities Areas of the SB RAS: On the 60th Anniversary of Siberian Archaeographic Expeditions (1965-2025)." Vladimir Nikolaevich Alekseev headed the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department of the SB RAS for over 40 years. He began his archaeological career in 1963 in the Urals, during the first expedition organized by Vladimir Vladimirovich Kuskov and Elena Ivanovna Dergacheva-Skop. Three years later, after completing his studies at Ural State University, he led an archaeographic expedition himself. During his tenure at the SB RAS, the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department acquired its unique identity, distinct from similar departments in other cities. Vladimir Alekseev's contributions to the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department of the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPSL SB RAS) and to the training of many generations of students were significant. The purpose of his address was to reiterate the fundamental principles of scientific cooperation between the SB RAS and Novosibirsk State University, which have served as one of the foundations of successful archaeological work in Siberia.
Vladimir Alekseev also explained that the bulk of the expedition's work was carried out by students undergoing archaeological internships. Their training was taken very seriously from the very beginning—each of them was required to possess specialized knowledge of working with archaeological sources, skills in working with people, the ability to communicate with Old Believers, and experience in compiling scientific descriptions of finds.
"The preparation of humanities students for archaeological fieldwork at NSU in the 1960s anticipated by more than half a century the Finnish school experiment that recently made headlines worldwide and astounded all educators. It involved students mastering not a subject (such as history, chemistry, or physics), but a phenomenon, explored using all available disciplines. Sixty years ago, our students, preparing for their summer fieldwork, were required to master not just any subject, such as the history of Russian literature in the late Middle Ages, Russian history, or geography, but the phenomenon known as 'Siberian Old Believers'—its history, how they emerged in Siberia, their everyday culture, way of life, geography of settlement, and so on," explained Vladimir Alekseev.
The presentation was given by Andrei Borodikhin, a student of Elena Dergacheva-Skop who continues archaeological fieldwork to this day. He is a candidate of philological sciences, associate professor in the Department of Literary Source Studies and Ancient Languages at the NSU Humanities Institute, and head of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department at the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He discussed the role of the NSU Humanities Institute in archaeological research in Siberia.
Inna Shilova, Candidate of Philological Sciences and Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Archaeography and Source Studies at the Heritage Research Center of the Novosibirsk State University Institute of Geology, spoke about the office archaeographic practice of philology students at the current stage (2005-2025).
The conference also features two exhibitions: "The Everyday Life and Romance of Archaeographic Expeditions (for the Anniversary of Archaeography in Siberia)" and an exhibition of archaeographic finds (1965–2025). The former is being held at Novosibirsk State University, and the latter at the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Material prepared by: Elena Panfilo, NSU press service
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